Stake and socket for flat cars



(No Modem T. J. VAUGHAN.

I STAKE AND SOCKET FOR FLAT CARS. No. 389,991. Patented Sept. 25, 1888.

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By MAM W g AIME/VH8.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. VAUGHAN, OF SHAWVANO, \VISCONSIN.

STAKE AND SOCKET FOR FLAT CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,991, dated September 25, 1888.

Application filed June 13, 1888. Serial No. 276,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. VAUGHAN, of the city and county of Shawano and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Combined Socket and Stake for Flat Cars, of which the following is a full, clear,.and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved combined socket and stake for railway-cars, specially adapted for use in connection with flat cars employed in the transportation of logs, and has for its object to provide a means whereby the stake will be normally held in a firm upright position, and wherein, also, the said stakes may in unloading be swung downward out of the way in a convenient and expeditious manner without injury to the car.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. Figure l is a plan view of the device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line ac x in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line y y of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention the body A consists of a block provided with a transverse recess, a, upon its under side, to receive the car-beam, adjacent to the sides of the car, and a transverse rib, a, integral with its inner end, purposed to support the ends of the car-fiooring, cut away to permit the introduction of the said body. The body A may be clamped to the beam in any well known or approved manner.

In the outer or projecting end of the body A a central vertical recess, B, is cut, the side walls of which recess, near its inner end, are

vprovided with vertical opposing grooves I), as

best shown in Fig. 1, extending nearly to the bottom.

The stake D is purposed to slide in the said grooves b, and to that end lugs or projections d are formed integral with its lower end, which lugs travel in said grooves. In the absence of other support the stake may be thrown out the medium of a dovetail horizontal key, E

(No model.)

ward,whereupou, turning upon its lugs, it will fall through the recess B and assume a horizontal or a downwardly-projecting position.

The stake is normally held upright through 7 sliding in a groove, 6, produced in the face of the body transversely the same, which key, spanning the recess B in front of the stake, is provided with a head, e. The groove eis extended beyond the body and into aside extension, E, whereby when the key is driven outward the recess B will be uncovered and the stake free to fall.

The key E is locked in position in front of the stake by a second key, F, sliding in a longitudinal groove, f, at right angles to and intersecting the groove 6, the normal position of the keys being clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The key F is also provided with a head, f.

In operation, the stakes being locked in an upright position to support the logs and it being desirous to unload the logs, it simply becomes necessary to strike the head f of the key F with a hammer or other convenient tool and drive said key inward. The key E may then likewise be driven out into the extension E; The outer support of the stakes being now removed, they Will turn upon their fulcrum and fall down out of the way, as shown in Fig. 3 and dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The slides E and F are preferably made of steel, and the longitudinal or safety slide may, if desired, be slid back by hand.

The socket or body is preferably fastened to the car-beam by screw-bolts or equivalent fastening devices passing through the inner wall of the recess a.

The forward end, N, of the longitudinal groove f is preferably made deeper than the rear end, as best shown in Fig. 2. The keyF is also guided in said groove by a pin, n, projecting from its side and traveling in a channel, it, produced in one wall of the groove, which channel may at the forward end extend vertically downward in the depression N.

Having thus described myinvention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the body-block provided with a vertical recess at its outer end,

and longitudinal and transverse intersecting nal surface-groove intersecting the transverse grooves upon its upper face, of a stake pivotgroove, of beaded keys sliding in said grooves allyheldin said recess and keyssliding in said and a stake sliding in said recess, provided longitudinal and transverse grooves, looking with lugs near its lower extremity entering 5 the stake in an upright position, substantially the said ways, all combined to operate sub- I5 as shown and described. stantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the body-bloek THOMAS J. VAUGHAN. provided with a vertical reeess at its outer end, XVituesses: having ways produced in its opposing walls, D. A. MODONELL, lo a transverse surface-groove, and a longitudi- H. B. GORMAN. 

